''I have earned multiple degrees in the field of psychology. However, once I broke into business, I found that much of what I learned would become very useful in that space.''
“He pointed out that good psychologists know how to get critical information from patients, and good recruiters need to know how to get maximum information from candidates,” said Rosend. “It’s knowing what questions to ask, how to ask them, and then drawing the best conclusion from what you learned.”
Soon, Rosend’s transition from psychology into the business of HR began.
For 12 years, Rosend worked as an assistant director of HR at Shared Medical Systems (now Siemens) before being recruited by U.S. Healthcare (USHC). There, he acted as the vice president of HR, saw the company through a merger, and worked in several senior-level positions for six more years. Finally, Rosend was ready for a change.
“I decided to go out on my own. My goal was to provide best-practice HR services to small entrepreneurial companies. I founded my company, HR Impact, five years ago. In 2006, TWC Group and HR Impact integrated their services, and my company operates under the TWC Group umbrella today.”
Rosend is now the president of the HR outsourcing division of the TWC Group, “a provider of recruitment process and HR outsourcing based in suburban Philadelphia.” There, he is responsible for a myriad of responsibilities, including driving sales, providing supervision and direction to TWC Group’s employees (who work on site at their client companies), and consulting clients in the area of strategic planning.
“In HR outsourcing, flexibility is what really attracts our professionals,” said Rosend when asked about HRO employees’ benefits. TWC Group recognizes the importance of personal time and encourages workers to enjoy life outside of the office.
“I think the company’s first priority is getting the work done. But as soon as it gets done, each employee decides how to spend their time. This works really well for our business.”
And in more ways than one. Rosend has not had to deal with any disputes or strikes.
However, while the challenge of his profession may not lie with his employees, it does lie in “[getting] the respect and acceptance from the [client’s] senior leadership, and that is not always easy to do.”
“We are external HR consultants coming into a company that does not always understand why they need our HR expertise,” continued Rosend.
Other challenges Rosend mentioned include finding talented people to fill difficult positions in a tight labor market and developing creative ways to source, screen, hire, and retain talent.
“Prior to founding my own company, I was faced with this task [of] trying to fill customer service positions as VP of HR at U.S. Healthcare. We had to hire large numbers of highly qualified people quickly in a very tight labor market. We employed a wide variety of methods including employee incentives, high school recruiting (as opposed to college recruiting), and job fairs to attract talent.”
| Q. What do you like to do outside of work? A. I work 24/7! Q. Any odd hobbies/interests? A. Astronomy and war history. Q. Are you married? A. Yes. Q. Do you have children? A. Yes. I have two daughters: Michelle, age 22, a graduate student studying special education, and Alyssa, age 20, a junior in college majoring in communications and public relations. Our 15-year-old cat rounds out the family! Q. Can you explain a little about your personal life outside of your company? A. I participate in a variety of activities, but most of all I enjoy being with my family, even if we're just watching TV together. Q. What CD is in your CD player right now? A. I use satellite radio. Much easier to find something you want to listen to! Q. What is the last magazine you read? A. New York Times Magazine. Q. What is your favorite TV show? A. Deal or No Deal. Totally absurd but very entertaining. I love watching greed at work. Q. Who is your role model? A. I have two: George Washington (visionary, leader, and had more courage than anyone could ever imagine) and the folks on Flight 93 (they sent a message to every terrorist in the world that Americans will fight back no matter what the odds). |
But despite the challenges, Rosend marches on.
“Always take the time to learn everything you can about your business, your job, and the people you work with,” he said. “Knowledge is power, and power is how you get things done in a large corporation. What are the basic keys of success in your field? Read, network, and always look for ways to do it better.
